The Place:  Lola Savannah

The Cup: A cappuccino for me, and Ray had a cup of coffee.

The Background: I believe it was Gary Hoover who first mentioned Ray Bard to me, during an Entrepreneurship class I took upon moving to Austin. This conversation is what landed Ray on my interview wish list. Next, I heard his name from Cup 27, Clint Greenleaf over breakfast one morning. Most recently, it was Cup 77, Jay Papasan who talked about what it was like to work with Ray when he and Gary Keller were working on their latest bestseller, The One Thing.

Before all of that, I knew of Ray. More specifically, I knew of his company, Bard Press.

When your career is sales-oriented, you know a few names: Dale Carnegie, David Sandler, Zig Ziglar, Jeffrey Gitomer.  Gitomer was one of my favorites, largely because of his no-nonsense approach to sales. But I also just really loved his books. I remember when I first discovered Gitomer’s books. I was in a Barnes and Noble, scanning the business section, when the Little Red Book of Selling and the Little Black Book of Connections caught my attention. They were small books, compared to the others, but I picked them up and was in love with the way they felt. The fabric covers, the glossy pages – just the right weight. The books felt great in my hands. Open them up and you find a layout of text that draws you in. You never stare at a white page, full of black letters. There are drawings, red text here and there, big bold words sprinkled throughout. The book is an experience.

Here is something you might not know about me. If we’re riding in the car together, singing along to the radio, you can turn to me and ask what the song name is, who is singing it and what year it came out, and with roughly 99% certainty, I can tell you now that I won’t have a clue! No idea whatsoever who sings old what’s-it-called. Apparently I use that part of my brain to store other, random tidbits of information.

When I was 15 or so, I saw a poster that read: “Michael Jordan has overcome the acceleration of gravity due to the application of his muscle power in the vertical plane, thus producing a low-altitude earth orbit.” For no good reason, I have that memorized. I can name all 50 states in alphabetical order {Thank you, Mrs. Eggers}, and I know who published my favorite Gitomer books. Bard Press. Wacky stuff, I realize!

Another book that is just as delightful, and as much an experience as any Gitomer book, is The One Thing. There are all kinds of fun, secret details. Imagine my delight when I saw Bard Press on the spine. And when Jay Papasan asked if I’d like him to make an introduction. Yes!

Common Grounds:

1. What’s a food you can’t live without? Pepperidge Farms Milk Chocolate Coconut Almond cookies.
2. What’s your guilty pleasure? Getting in my car and heading West. {Like Big Bend in West Texas, I ask?} No, even further. Getting on the other side of Texas. Driving into New Mexico, you can drive for miles and not see another person or car. The blacktop with it’s yellow stripes looks like a backbone. I love driving along the railroad, watching the cars and looking for antelope.
3. What is something you’ll regret not doing if you don’t do it? Publishing another book that sells a million copies.  
4. What is the best place to eat in Austin? My house. {A recent meal he describes is a big pasta salad with fresh red pepper and cilantro, goat cheese, walnuts, and dried cranberries, tossed in a lemon and olive oil dressing. He paired it with a lovely New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Yum!}

Two Cups

Ray and I had our first coffee a few weeks back, but when after nearly two hours we’d only made it to question three, I knew we’d need to have a second cup, and hoped Ray would go for it. Some coffees are conversational. Most are lighter on conversation and more about me asking questions and the other person giving their response. This coffee was conversation-heavy. And it was perfect.

We spent a huge chunk of coffee one talking about my project. Ray was interested and inquisitive. Because it’s something I care about greatly, I was happy to discuss. And since I believe there is a book in me, somewhere – about the project and the experience, I was eager to hear what the most interesting book publisher in the world* had to say. (*Admittedly, a title I gave Ray, but one he totally deserves).

Now That We’re Friends

Since most of our first discussion was focused on the project, and me – we’ll move right into coffee #2. Which was only different in that it was a new day and we sat out on the patio instead of inside. Well, and we weren’t strangers any longer, we were now friends.* (Yes, me again with the titles, but I hope Ray would agree.)

Ray’s life is a story. It’s rich with detail, colors and contrast. When you ask someone like Ray, “What’s the most significant thing that’s happened to you in the last 30 days?” the answer that comes isn’t quick. It’s carefully considered and then expertly constructed. Ray describes a place and you feel you’ve been there. He talks about the people and you swear you know them. He notices things others miss, and it’s those little gems that make him such a gifted storyteller.

By The Moonlight

Between our coffee chats, Ray took a trip to Argentina. And this trip is his answer to the question. Rather than recount the ten days, he paints a picture of his first night. Upon arriving early to the hotel, Ray hung out in the lobby – making observations and getting acquainted with his new digs. When Ray got his key, he was pleasantly surprised with an upgrade to a suite. Ray was eight stories up, and his balcony provided the perfect crow’s nest to observe the city and its inhabitants. Across the way was an apartment building and a few young men had taken to the balcony to grill and enjoy a few beers. As darkness fell, the pulse of the city was still strong and a large moon rose and filled the sky with a magical glow.

Ray also shares with me the scene of Saturday in a sidewalk cafe that overlooked 9 de Julio Avenue, the widest avenue in the world – up to seven lanes in each direction. Ray captured the images with his camera and captured the experience with a pen and a notepad. He tells me he’ll turn his notes into a story and I look forward to reading it. But truthfully, I feel like I was already there.

Ray wan’t sure what he was going to think of Argentina, but he had such a great time in Buenos Aires, he tells me he’s already planning to go back later this year.

Alone At Last

Another place he loves is New Mexico. He shared with me a recent trip he took over Christmas last year. There is a place close to Sante Fe called Ghost Ranch, actually in a little town made famous as Georgia O’Keefe’s home, Abiquiu. He shares with me that he had been to Ghost Ranch before, but never stayed. He made arrangements to stay at Casa del Sol, an off-site, six-bedroom hacienda that after the first night, Ray had to himself. Every day he took photographs, walked and explored. And he reflected. Though not a loner, as Ms. O’Keefe describes herself, Ray seeks occasional solitude and Ghost Ranch offers that in abundance.

Another activity he enjoys when he’s in Sante Fe is to sit on a park bench in the Sante Fe Plaza.  He says the area fills with locals – families, musicians, artisans – and as they play and perform, Ray relaxes and observes.

The Root of the Story

Ray grew up on a farm in Oklahoma. His parents were hard-working and they taught Ray the values that he holds dear today. The faith he found at the small Methodist church up the road remains constant as well. Ray and I enjoy conversation on the topic of home – and why some people leave and others stay. That’s an on-going discussion, so feel free to weigh in. One thing we both agreed upon was that although as kids, we couldn’t wait to leave home, it’s a very special place that we enjoy returning to. We appreciate it far more now than we did growing up.

I ask Ray about his biggest life-shaping event. He describes for me the summer after his freshman year in Junior College, when his minister told him about this company that hired students to sell Bibles during summer. Ray was ready to leave the farm and head off to Nashville for sales training. The company was Southwestern and Ray managed to talk a buddy into joining him on the adventure. After the pair attended their week-long sales training and got their territory, they were off to sell Bibles.

Ray admits that it went OK, but he didn’t strike it rich. He says if he had been better about collecting a deposit, he might have had better luck. But the following summer, Ray decided to take a job sorting scrap metal. What it lacked in glamour, it made up for in stability.

Game Changer

As the next summer was fast approaching, Spencer Hays paid a visit to Ray’s campus and tracked down the young man who hadn’t found success selling books. Spencer asked Ray to give it another shot. Ray tells me Spencer was persuasive and although he wasn’t excited to try again, he knew his parents were even less excited. He told Spencer he’d have to get his parent’s blessing and invited him for dinner. After a meal of fried chicken and mashed potatoes, Spencer had won everyone over, and Ray was back to selling books.

Ray was inspired by this mentor, Spencer Hays, who grew up poor, was raised by his grandmother, and went to TCU on a basketball scholarship. Ray saw in Spencer another example of hard work paying off, and set out to be a success himself. Ray stayed on for seven summers, and became a recruiter like his mentor. He says the training was inspiring and motivating; pair that with 75-80 hour work weeks and success will come. And it certainly did. Ray says, “If Spencer had not recruited me, my life would have been entirely different. Amazingly different.”

Ray left to get into publishing and Spencer stayed with the company. Eventually, Southwestern was bought by Times-Mirror. He soon realized he didn’t like working for a big company, so he bought it back. In addition to running Southwestern, Spencer also started a handful of other successful companies over the years. Ray has stayed in touch with Spencer. Many years after working together, when Ray found himself gearing up to sell his publishing company, he called Spencer for advice. When he published Gitomer’s The Little Red Book, he sent Spencer a copy. Spencer also got his own copy of The One Thing. When he received it, he called Ray, and after a 90-minute conversation, it was agreed that Ray would make arrangements to visit Spencer on his next trip to New York City.

The Impact

The reunion happened this January. Ray describes the lovely visit and all the catching up. The pair swapped stories for hours. Then they went for dinner at The 21 Club.  At the conclusion of the visit, as Spencer was dropping Ray off in front of the Algonquin Hotel, the friends had a nice long hug. Ray tearfully told Spencer, “You’ve made such a difference in my life.” Spencer replied, “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

When I ask about the best advice he’s gotten, it’s this line from his life-long friend and mentor: “Just keep doing what you’re doing.” Ray says it was validation and affirmation about what he’s doing now and the path he’s taken to get here. It’s nice to hear it from someone whose opinion you hold in such high regard.

You First

Ray has had plenty of successes since his days of door-to-door book sales. I want to know about the best mistake he ever made. He tells me, but not without first asking me about mine. Which is just Ray. He’s happy to tell you anything, but he’s just as curious as he is forthcoming, so he has questions too. Which ends up being kind of fun.

Ray tells me he had plans to stockpile a bunch of money and stop working when he was 50. By the time he was 40, he had sold his first business to The New York Times, but instead of stopping, he took they money and started another publishing company. That company didn’t make it. He thought it would take five years to come back, but it ended up taking 15. Next, he merged with another publisher – and that didn’t work out either. So, he took a big hit and bought the company back. Five years ago, he again tried to get out of the business. Ray had a feeling that deal was going south. And his intuition was right.

Make No Mistake

The experience forced Ray to do some restructuring and pass off some tasks that he didn’t enjoy or wasn’t good at. Ray says, “It was the best mistake. I am so grateful. If I had gotten out, I would have never published The One Thing, and you and I wouldn’t be sitting here having coffee!” {Ooh, good point Ray. Close call!} Ray said he’s published so many fun books, and worked with many great authors over the last few years and that the experience has pushed him. When he took on a recent book, The Full Plate Diet, he was on a short timeline. He says that book forced him to get back into the habit of waking earlier – 4:45am. He remarks, “I feel so much better when I wake up early. By 8am, I’ve done a huge amount.”

No Time to Coast

Ray tells me he has no plans for slowing down. He says, ” It’s interesting when you become more aware that one only has a certain number of days. You begin to think about things like negative thoughts. You know, you get to choose. So why would you ever choose to have a negative thought? I was just thinking, rather than coasting, to me it’s even more challenging, because there’s so much more I want to do. Books I want to read – in fact, I just ordered five more last night on Amazon. The business mistake turned into a huge nudge to keep me moving.”

Ray isn’t so much a bucket list guy – nothing formal like that. He does have a couple of goals. In addition to publishing another book that sells a million copies, Ray would like to visit Istanbul; become a really good baker; and he wants to explore Glacier National Park (Which is my favorite place on the planet.) Ray doesn’t just talk about things, he makes plans and he takes action. Ray has a trip planned with his son, Montague, to go camping and cabining in August. He’s asked for my recommendations and I look forward to suggesting some of my favorite spots. Maybe it will inspire me to get busy planning my 40×40 list item #2 trip.

Importance of Attitude

A book that Ray names as being particularly impactful is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. He says, “It was the first book that talked about mindset and attitude and that we are what we think about all day long. And that it’s a choice. That was the first book that began that process for me. It would be interesting to go back and re-read it.”

Who Are We?

I ask Ray about something he believed to be true for a long time, but now knows differently. Again, he considers the question for a bit, then turns to me and asks what I think. I know my answer, but I’ve never put it into words. I doubt I’ll do any better now than I did sitting with Ray. Essentially, I used to think that one day I’d arrive. I’d be grown-up, and I would be different. The truth is, for me at least, I’m exactly the same. Older, more life experiences, the lens in which I view the world has changed a bit, but overall, I am the same girl who loved unicorns, hated baby-sitting and rooted for the underdog.

Ray isn’t sure about my answer. He tells me that hasn’t been his experience. He suggests that we are more malleable, and that we can change. He says, “I can think back on some of my own behavior when I was 20, 30 and even 40, and when I look at that, I was really being an asshole. Maybe I’m still being an asshole.” We both have a good laugh at this comment and Ray adds, ” I’m a kinder asshole. A lot of it was ego. I’d like to think that there’s been a sense of awareness that’s lead to a change in behavior. The question is, how much of that is veneer?” This launches us into a whole discussion on character, behavior, values and personality. Who are we? That’s a big question.

Go For It!

If given 30 seconds to make a speech to the world, Ray’s message is this: “Go for it! Take the dream and go for it! There’s only one shot. This is it. So just go for it!”

Ray has left me with more questions than answers. Which is absolutely one of the best parts of this project. Sometimes it’s people’s answers that give me pause. In this case, it was the questions.

Life is one long series of small moments, conversations and decisions. Ray says his life would have been amazingly different if Spencer hadn’t recruited him. What event in your life leaves you feeling the same way? Is there someone you might reach out to and thank for making an impact? My guess is, the exchange between Ray and Spencer meant just as much to Spencer as it did to Ray. Gratitude is the least expensive gift you’ll ever give, but it’s invaluable.

Ray is right, we have a choice. How we move forward in this life is our choice to make. The dialogue going on in our heads – that’s a choice. Do you take a trip and worry about the traffic, the weather and the crime? Or do you sit on your balcony, watch the people grilling and enjoying a cold one, and watch as the moon rises to illuminate the scene? It’s all a choice. Live your life in such a way that the only advice anyone who matters would give you is, “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”